This creamy burrito bowl sauce recipe is tangy, lightly spicy, and packed with bold flavor. This plant-based sauce swaps dairy for avocado and cashews while bringing lots of flavor to every bite. This burrito sauce also works on tacos, burritos, taquitos, potatoes, and more. Best of all, it's ready in just 15 minutes!
This sauce works for homemade burrito bowls, tacos with refried beans, and potatoes, like tacos de papa.
A Quick Look: Creamy Burrito Bowl Sauce
- 📝 Recipe Name: Creamy Burrito Bowl Sauce Recipe
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 8–10 servings
- 🎯 Key Ingredients: Avocado, cashews, chile de árbol, pickled jalapeños
- 🌱 Dietary Info: Vegan, dairy-free, oil-free, plant-based
- ✨ Best For: Burrito Bowls, burritos, refried beans, tacos, and meal prep bowls
- 💕 Why You'll Love It: Creamy, tangy, lightly spicy, and incredibly versatile
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I originally created this sauce for burrito bowls, but it quickly became one of my favorites for bean taquitos, smothered burritos, vegan taco dip, grilled sliced potatoes in foil, and simple rice and bean bowls.
It’s creamy from the avocado and cashews, tangy from the pickled jalapeños, and just spicy enough to wake everything up. I love it for meal prep because it completely changes the flavor of a meal with just a drizzle.
Burrito sauce was made for drizzling over simple beans and rice, especially my Mexican rice for tacos, rice for burritos, and vegan Mexican rice.
Why This Recipe Works
- Creamy without dairy. Avocado and cashews create a rich, smooth texture without the need for sour cream or mayonnaise.
- Boiling builds flavor. Simmering the tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cashews, and chile de árbol together softens everything and helps the flavors blend before they're pureed into a smooth sauce.
- Tangy with just enough heat. Pickled jalapeños, jalapeño brine, and chile de árbol add brightness and a gentle kick without overwhelming the other flavors.
- Perfect for burrito bowls. The creamy texture coats rice, beans, and vegetables beautifully, helping every bite feel more flavorful.
This burrito bowl sauce evolved from my creamy avocado tomato salsa. It starts with the same creamy tomato-and-avocado base, then builds on it with additional ingredients for a richer, more developed flavor.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here's what you'll need to make this creamy burrito sauce:
- Roma tomatoes: Plum tomatoes work too.
- Jalapeño: Serrano peppers can be substituted for extra heat. For less heat, remove seeds and membranes from jalapeños.
- Raw cashews: Unroasted and unsalted. Since they're boiled with the vegetables, there's no need to soak them first.
- Chile de árbol: For a spicier sauce, use two. For a milder sauce, start with one or even half of one. You can also substitute ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Avocado: Use a ripe avocado for the creamiest texture.
How to Make Burrito Sauce
This sauce for burrito bowls comes together in just a few simple steps.
- Step 1: Boil the tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cashews, and chile de árbol until the tomatoes start to split their skins (about 10 minutes).
- Step 2: Transfer to a blender and reserve ¾ cup cooking water. Add the remaining ingredients.
- Step 3: Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Step 4: Drizzle over your favorite Mexican dishes.
Tested Tips
- Taste after it chills. This sauce tastes good right away, but the flavors really come together after 30 minutes in the refrigerator. If it feels a little sharp at first, give it time.
- Use the full ¼ cup pickled jalapeños if serving with rice and beans. Rice and beans mellow flavors, so a little extra tang and heat helps the sauce stand out.
- Save extra cooking water. The sauce thickens slightly as it sits. I often stir in a splash of the reserved cooking water before serving leftovers.
- Make it ahead. This is one of those sauces that's often better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep burrito bowls and tacos.
This burrito bowl sauce works as a drizzle or a dip for all kinds of Mexican-inspired dishes. For even more ideas, look through my collection of Mexican meal prep recipes.
Make It Your Way
This burrito bowl sauce is easy to customize based on your taste preferences.
- More heat: Add a second chile de árbol or a few extra pickled jalapeños.
- Milder: Remove the jalapeño seeds before boiling and start with ⅛ cup pickled jalapeños.
- Thinner sauce: Blend in a splash of extra cooking water until it reaches your desired consistency. You may need to add a touch more salt.
- Tangier: Add an extra tablespoon of jalapeño brine or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
One of my favorite ways to use burrito bowl sauce is on loaded potatoes. I’ll split open a baked potato, layer crispy potato wedges or grilled potatoes in foil, then pile on whole or refried black beans, salsa pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, and a generous drizzle of sauce.
How to Make the Best Burrito Bowl at Home
A great burrito bowl doesn't need dozens of ingredients. Layer a few simple components that work well together. Here's how I build mine.
- Start with the rice. Use my rice for burritos, simple Mexican rice, or easy brown rice as the foundation.
- Add the beans. Whole black beans, refried black beans, or refried pinto beans all work well. If you're making them from scratch, my Instant Pot refried beans are one of my favorites.
- Pile on fresh toppings. Pico de gallo salsa, shredded lettuce or cabbage, fresh guacamole, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime add freshness, texture, and color.
- Finish with the sauce. A generous drizzle of this creamy burrito bowl sauce ties everything together.
Want to see how I layer everything together? Check out the ultimate burrito bowl recipe for the complete recipe, topping ideas, and step-by-step instructions.
For game day, family nights, and casual get-togethers, I like to make an easy snack board. I serve this easy bean dip and tacos de papa, mango pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, lime wedges, and extra sauce for dipping.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Expect some thickening: This sauce thickens slightly as it chills. If needed, stir in a splash of water, oat milk, or lime juice before serving.
- Meal Prep: I often prep this and use it on burrito bowls, tacos, potatoes, and salads throughout the next few days.
- Note: Because this sauce contains avocado, the color is brightest on the first day, although the flavor remains delicious for several days.
Burrito Bowl Sauce Recipe FAQs
Burrito bowl sauce can be made many ways, but this version combines tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cashews, avocado, chile de árbol, and pickled jalapeños for a creamy, tangy sauce.
Popular burrito bowl sauces include avocado sauces, chipotle sauces, cilantro lime crema, salsa-based sauces, and creamy jalapeño sauces. This creamy burrito bowl sauce adds tang, heat, and richness without dairy.
Absolutely. While I originally created this recipe for burrito bowls, it's also delicious on tacos, taquitos, tacos de papa, loaded baked potatoes, and Mexican-inspired salads.
It has a mild to moderate kick from the jalapeño, pickled jalapeños, and chile de árbol. For a milder sauce, remove the jalapeño seeds and start with fewer pickled jalapeños.
Yes. In fact, I often make it a day ahead for meal prep. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and give it a quick stir before serving.
More Sauces to Drizzle Over a Burrito Bowl
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Burrito Bowl Sauce
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Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes, (about 10-12 ounces)
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- 1 dried chile de árbol
- 1 avocado
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- ⅛-¼ cup pickled jalapeños, add more to taste
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño brine
- ¾ cup reserved cooking water
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cashews, and chile de árbol to a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook about 10 minutes, or until softened.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked ingredients to a blender. Reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water and discard the rest.
- Add the avocado, salt, pickled jalapeños, jalapeño brine, plant-based milk, and reserved cooking water to the blender.
- Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust salt or pickled jalapeños as desired.
- Serve over your favorite Mexican dishes. My favorites are Mexican burrito bowls, bean and rice tacos, vegan taquitos, roasted potatoes, and other meal prep bowls.
Notes
- For extra heat, use 2 dried chile de árbol peppers.
- The sauce thickens slightly as it chills. Thin with a splash of water or oat milk if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Pickled jalapeños + jalapeño brine add tang and flavor. If you don't have the brine, use a little extra pickled jalapeño and lime juice.
- If you prefer not to use plant-based milk, you could replace it with additional cooking water.
- Fresh lime juice is a great addition before serving if you'd like extra brightness.
Nutrition
Julie Gaeta is a plant-based recipe creator, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and mom of nine who's been plant-based for over 20 years. She's cooked approximately 4,382 pots of beans and can't vacation without her juicer and pasta pot. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Yahoo, YourTango, and other major outlets. She helps others simplify wellness and feel good again through her blog, coaching, and weekly newsletter.
Julie Gaeta says
I make this sauce a lot. It started as a burrito bowl sauce, but it ends up on potatoes, tacos, taquitos, and whatever rice and beans we have. It’s creamy, just spicy enough, and so good!